ThePleasureDevice (13 page)

* * * * *

Nicholas’ time at the estate proved to be an exhausting but
very rewarding few days.

The Viscount Ravensburgh—Bertie—came to pay his last respects
to the earl. The dying man was happy to see his nephew, remarking in awe how
much like his brother George Bertie had become. Before Bertie left, the cousins
were able to spend a morning reminiscing. Nicholas intimated that he hoped the
viscount would be chosen as the earl’s heir.

“If the honor befalls me, Nicky, I will certainly accept my
duty,” he had said quietly. “But right now I am in love and I would like to
immerse myself in that luscious feeling for a moment. I really don’t want the
headache of this estate. I’m sure you understand.”

Of course, Nicholas had said, quashing a pang of envy for
his cousin’s love affair. But Bertie had been nothing but responsible and
duty-driven from far too young an age. It was time he experienced the pleasures
of life.

By chance, the boy Percy—who, it turned out, was no longer a
boy but the very handsome and dashing Marquess of Norrington—had also decided
to visit the earl on his deathbed. Percy had put the unfortunate relationship
with Jack behind him, although he still felt tremendous guilt about the
Countess of St. Albans’ death. He was going abroad on a sort of Grand Tour to
put some distance between himself and his old life.

“My father doesn’t know, Nicky, about the affair with Jack.
He hopes I’ll find a pretty girl of some venerable European aristocratic
bloodline and settle down. But I’m not entirely sure I want a girl, even a
pretty one.”

If only Percy could marry Helena. She and Nicholas could be
lovers without her husband really caring.

In his final discussions with his father, the idea of
Nicholas himself settling down had been brought up several times. His father
seemed overly enthusiastic to pass on nuggets of wisdom to his one son who had
any sense. And who was still alive.

“And your medical practice, how is that?”

“I am working with a rather eccentric doctor. But I think I
will be able to go out on my own very soon.”

“Good, good.” His father’s breathing had become torturous by
the end. “You’ll be able to support a wife and children?”

Nicholas had flushed at that. “Of course, Papa.” He found it
had become easy to agree and obey, to slip into old childhood ways now that it
was the child caring for his parent.

“Lavinia writes that you are looking for a wife.”

Nicholas had chuckled. “It is rather Lavinia who is looking
for a wife for me.”

His father’s gaze was eerie. “And have you found one yet?”

“I thought I had but it turned out she was promised to
another. I’m still looking.”

“You’re a handsome young man, Nicky. I’m sure you have women
falling head over heels for you every day.”

Nicholas knew he had blushed at that. “It’s more difficult
than you might think, Papa.”

“Well, you have a lifetime to find someone. When you find
her, you’ll know. You must cherish her, Nicky, as well as love and respect her.”

“Yes, Papa.” Nicholas had held back tears knowing full well
his father was looking to him to rectify the mistakes of his past and redeem
the family name.

“Will you bring her to live here?”

Nicholas had been utterly taken aback by that. He had then
tried to convince his father that he was not interested in inheriting the title
and that Bertram would be a far better candidate to replace him as earl.

His father had agreed quietly that Bertram had very
admirable qualities and had not broached the subject again.

That night the Earl of St. Albans died. Nicholas had been in
the room but had dozed off, the exhaustion of worry finally having caught up
with him. He left the next morning, saddened and dazed, Mason assuring him that
he could handle the matters of the estate with the solicitor.

On the train home to London, Nicholas had no idea what to
expect when he got there. Would Helena already be married? It had only been a
few days, so of course not. She would probably be formally engaged, though.
Maybe there would be a soirée in her honor. Perhaps it would turn out that she
was fond of her fiancé. Maybe Nicholas himself would realize the lucky man was
the better choice.

Then, for some reason, Nicholas found himself wondering if
Penelope Hardcastle would be attending any of the same events as he that coming
weekend.

“Dr. Ramsay, sir, I take it you had a nice visit with your
family?” Grace wanted to be as polite as possible. She needed the young doctor
on her side.

“Thank you, Grace,” he said uncharacteristically morosely. “Actually,
my father died. But I am glad I was able to spend time with him at the end.”

“Oh Doctor! My condolences, sir.”

She busied herself about the office, tidying up children’s
toys and books, shuffling papers, putting pieces of equipment and furniture in
their proper places. Dr. Ramsay’s first day back had been a full one, with
almost no break between patients.

Mrs. Jennings knocked on the door before entering with the
tea tray.

“Thank you, Mrs. Jennings.” Poor Dr. Ramsay seemed rather
tired.

“Can I pour you a cup of tea, sir?” Grace asked as she
shooed the old lady out.

“Yes, please. Thank you, Grace.” He wolfed down a sandwich.

“Busy day, sir.” Grace hardly knew how to begin. She
suddenly felt a little nervous.

“Yes. I take it Dr. Christopher saw very few of my patients
while I was gone?”

“He saw them what came in without an appointment. Urgent
matters, you know. Otherwise, he’s been busy with his research, sir.”

“Hmmph.” Dr. Ramsay gave her a dubious smirk. “And how has
he been treating you? He’s not taken gross advantage of you, has he?”

“I really don’t know what you mean, sir. I like Dr.
Christopher. A lot.”

“Ah, I see.” He eyed her with concern. “Then you don’t mind
being party to his little, uh, experiments?”

“Oh no, sir!” She warmed and knew she had blushed crimson at
his insinuation. “And his experiments are really quite clever. Did you know,
sir, that the electro-mechanical device can be used on a man?”

He started at that, his third sandwich poised before his
mouth. “A man?”

“Yes, well, really it is a most delicate subject, but a man
has an area inside that can benefit from such stimulation.”

Now it was Dr. Ramsay’s turn to blush. “And you witnessed
this?”

“Yes, sir. We hired a nice-looking young man. I watched,
then I held the wand while the doctor took notes.”

“Good God,” he muttered under his breath. “The things that
man makes you do.”

“If you must know, sir, I quite fancy the doctor. I’d do
anything for him.”

Dr. Ramsay clearly did not know what to say to that, at
first. He took a sip of tea then cleared his throat. “Grace, I don’t want to
see you hurt. Dr. Christopher is far above your station. I fear he might not
see you in the same way as you see him. It’s best you do not get too
emotionally attached.”

“I do understand that, sir. But if I may be bold, sir, Dr.
Christopher and I are very much alike. I would hate to see him with someone who
would not appreciate his motivations and desires.”

“Well, your heart will be safe for a while at least. I’m not
sure he’s really looking for someone at the moment. I know he’s been involved
with a woman recently, but that is a temporary arrangement.”

It was said with genuine regard for her emotional
well-being. Grace was deeply touched. It made what she had to tell him all the
more difficult.

“But sir, if I may, there is someone the doctor wants to be
with. I think it’s horrible really. She’s young and, well, rather innocent if
you ask me. I don’t think she quite understands what he’s all about.”

“Well, well, well. So the doctor has found love in the few
days since I’ve been away. I certainly was not expecting that.”

“I don’t think it’s proper love, Dr. Ramsay, sir. I think it’s
like part of his experiment.”

“His experiment?” His brow crinkled.

“Yes. You see, he needs a virgin.”

“A virgin?” He paled as realization descended upon him.

“Yes, sir. You see, he’s gotten what he needs out of me for
the experiment, but, well, I’m not a virgin.” She flushed at her admission. “He
was going to get a virgin, like, in another way, see, then he met this young
woman. She’s very beautiful. He told her mother that if she does not let her
daughter get engaged to him, he is going to have relations with her so she’s no
longer fit for anyone else. He really wants to use the machine on her and take
notes, and when he’s done he’ll have a proper honeymoon, if you know what I
mean, sir.”

“Good God.” Poor Dr. Ramsay looked horrified. “Have you met
her?”

“Yes. So have you.”

“I have? Grace,” he said with exasperated annoyance, “who is
she?”

“Miss Helena Phillips, sir.”

All color drained from the doctor’s face until he looked as
if he were going to be sick. “Are you sure?” His voice was ghostly.

“I am, sir. I know how upsetting this must be for you. So I
need you to stop him. I need you to make sure my Julius does not marry that
girl.”

* * * * *

Nicholas was beside himself with rage and grief. When Grace
had told him about Helena it was as if he had been hit over the head, then revived
in the middle of a bizarre nightmare. He had dashed out of the office straight
to Lavinia’s.

“Is this true?” Nicholas stormed right past her beleaguered
butler into her study.

She was standing in the middle of the room, frozen, holding
an open newspaper, her usually lovely dark amber eyes bloodshot from tears of
disbelief.

“My God, Nicky. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
Lavinia held out the
Daily News
for him to see. It was the engagement
notice for Miss Helena Phillips and Dr. Julius Christopher.

“Christ!” Nicholas slumped onto the couch. “She can’t
possibly want to be with that man.”

“No, no, she can’t. I don’t understand how this happened.”
She crumpled the paper in disgust and threw it on the floor.

“I’ll tell you how it happened!” Nicholas stood and began to
pace frantically. “The mother! Somehow he’s blackmailing her.”

“Julius does not need money, Nicky.”

“No, of course not.” He paused briefly. “It’s some sort of
perverted sexual blackmail.”

“Hmm, I suppose I could see that.”

“Mrs. Phillips and her damn clouded judgment! If Helena
doesn’t need to marry a duke, why can’t she marry me?”

“I don’t know. I simply do not understand.” Lavinia stared
vacantly at the
Daily News
on the carpet.

“Yes, well, I’ll tell you why! It’s his blasted experiments
with women and their sexual desires. He told me once he was going to buy a
virgin at a brothel. Now it looks as if he has his sights set on Helena. And he’s
blackmailed Mrs. Phillips into giving her to him.”

“Oh dear.” Lavinia plopped onto the couch.

“I heard this from Grace, his maid. She’s in love with him,
it seems, and wants to stop the marriage. She asked for my help.”

Lavinia steepled her fingers pensively. “Well, Nicky, it
seems to be in your best interest to help Grace, then.”

“Yes, I had actually thought of that. But how? What could we
possibly do?” Nicholas hesitated at a wicked thought. “There’s always
seduction.”

“Nicky, don’t you dare!” she hissed. “With Helena’s family
history, Mr. Phillips would take you to court. He would win too.”

“Because I’m from a family of violent libertines?” he said
snidely.

“Don’t be daft.” Lavinia glared at him. “Because current
practice by our upstanding judges is to defend the moral fabric of our society.
I might be dragged in for conspiracy, even.”

Nicholas offered his hand and pulled her into his arms. “Look,
Vinny, I would never, really,” he assured her. “It would disgrace us both. I’m
just so…so lost.” Lost didn’t begin to cover it. Anger, hatred, desperation,
anxiety, need… With so many emotions it was difficult to put any of them into
words.

Lavinia took his hands in hers. “I’ll have to think about
this, darling. And we must be careful. If anything goes wrong, Julius could sue
for breach of promise.”

Nicholas’ stomach turned. “As if Helena has actually
promised anything to that man. Besides, he can’t. She’s not twenty-one.”

“The engagement could last for years, really.”

Which meant years of so-called experimentation. “Not if I
can stop it beforehand.”

“Look, darling, I’ll talk to Charlotte. She must know how to
contact Mr. Phillips. He cannot possibly accept such an arrangement. He’ll
think Julius is after her money.”

“Which is the one thing he doesn’t care about.”

“Well, most men do. Mr. Phillips will just assume.”

“I’m stopping this marriage, Vinny, by any means necessary.”

Lavinia ran her fingers through his hair. “Go upstairs and
take a bath. I’ll call on Charlotte. She’ll know it’s important if I show up at
this time of evening. And if you’re still upset when I get back, I’ll help you
relax.”

“No. I’m going home. I really need my own rooms to think.”

“All right, darling.” She kissed him tenderly, trying to
soothe him.

Nicholas wrapped his arms around his lover and kissed her in
return, only then realizing how much he needed release.

“Go,” he said hoarsely. “Before I seduce you.”

* * * * *

Charlotte had indeed been as upset as she and Nicholas were
about the news.

“This will not do. I simply do not know what has gotten into
Sophia!”

Lavinia knew precisely what—or who, rather—had gotten into Sophia.

“Can you contact Mr. Phillips, Charlotte?” she had asked.

“I’ve already sent word, my dear. They can’t possibly marry
without him present. My understanding is that he is in California, although I’ve
telegrammed a few other haunts of his. It could be months before we hear from
him.”

“So that means we have some time to try to convince Julius
that this is not the best of plans, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, Lavinia. I will leave that up to you. You were close
once. He’ll have to listen to you.”

And that’s how Lavinia found herself in Julius’ parlor
pacing on his Persian carpet while he watched her admiringly, comfortably
ensconced on his couch.

“You’ve a lovely figure, Lavinia. That dress shows it off
quite well.”

His suggestive tone and pointed gaze were unnerving. “That’s
unlike you to comment on such frippery, Julius. Or are you trying to get in
practice to please your young wife?”

He chuckled. “I wondered why I was being dignified by your
presence. So you’ve heard.” He calmly sipped his port.

She rounded on him. “Of course I’ve heard! It was in the
bloody paper! Why the hell did you publish it so soon?”

“To take her off the market, so to speak. It is the height
of the Season, you know.”

“You are infuriating.” His scrutiny of her body continued to
fluster her. “Has her father been informed?”

“Not yet. Sophia has written him. He will know presently.”

Lavinia hoped Charlotte’s telegrams arrived before whatever
missive Sophia thought to send. Mr. Phillips would know that the ton of England
were not happy about his daughter’s impending nuptials, no matter what
balderdash Sophia decided to write.

“How can you, Julius!” Lavinia paced more rapidly. “She’s an
innocent.”

“Yes, she is,” he concurred lewdly. “So very innocent,
beautifully innocent. In fact, I will not even kiss her until my violation of
her has begun. I want to watch her experience everything at once.” His wicked
smile dripped with insinuation.

Lavinia pursed her lips, suddenly glad Nicholas had kissed
the girl. At least Helena would have a memory of her first kiss being with
someone she adored.

“Yet,” Julius continued, twirling his glass and watching the
ruby liquor cling and drip down the sides, “my only regret is that I must give
up my affair with the mother. Such a wondrous response to my touch.” He took a
sip of port. “So wanton. So generous.” He glared at her. “So much like you.”

Lavinia crossed her arms and turned away in exasperated
irritation. But Julius was standing behind her in an instant.

“You remember don’t you, my love?” His arm snaked around her
waist while his other hand found the buttons of her bodice. “Your inattentive,
flaccid husband and my fervent potency?” His breath was hot on her neck.

She damned her inconstant desires as the heat rose in her
body. “Julius, please,” she pleaded meekly.

He rocked their bodies in unison. “You too were something of
an innocent, were you not? He barely touched you, the fool.”

Lavinia closed her eyes to more fully indulge in his touch,
his closeness. “I couldn’t wait to see you,” she breathed. “I could never get
enough of you.” She craved him even now.

He drew her into his arms and kissed her tenderly,
nostalgically. Twenty years ago, their affair had been intense, passionate. An
imaginative lover, Julius had been a welcome respite from Lavinia’s impotent
husband. Against her better judgment, she had fallen in love with him. But when
she discovered she was with child, his child, Julius had insisted the pregnancy
be ended. The affair quickly cooled but with the distance of time, it proved
too easy to resume their connection.

“We’ve always been good together.” He drew his tongue up the
pulse point in her neck. She did not realize he had opened the top of her dress
until he began unhooking the front of her corset.

“Darling, don’t…” Her protest was weak.

His hand found its way under her chemise, cupping a breast,
his thumb and forefinger delicately pinching her awakening nipple.

His intense blue eyes held hers with a familiar intimacy. “You
are so unique in your lustfulness, my dear. Does your lover know you can climax
thusly?”

He bent down and took her breast in his mouth, his tongue
rolling spirals over the sensitive peak, thrilling her as he used to. Lavinia
closed her eyes and grasped his head as he attended her, trying to imagine
Nicholas, realizing that no one else tortured her like Julius.

She moaned softly.

She should have known it would only encourage him.